Mr. Popular: A Falling For My Brother's Best Friend Romance

by Nicole London

  “I haven’t. And I don’t think anything is ‘normal’ with you.”

  She smiles, keeping her eyes closed. “Have you opened any of those college letters you’ve been getting in the mail yet? The non-basketball scholarship offer ones?”

  “I have ...”

  “And?” She struggles to open her eyes, so I gently press my fingers against her eyelids to keep them shut. “I got into my top five. Four of them offered full scholarships.”

  “What about the fifth one?”

  “That one is Yale.” I laugh. “They offered me a partial.”

  “Congratulations, that’s amazing!” She smiles, as I bend down to kiss her, but it quickly fades. “Which one are you leaning toward going to?”

  The closest one to you ... “I’m not sure yet. I have to compare all the offers and campuses, and I’ve got to brace myself to tell my dad that he’s been wasting his time talking to recruiters over the past six months.”

  “You don’t think it’ll break his heart that you didn’t tell him sooner?”

  “He broke his own heart by not listening to me over the years. He still thinks he can live through me and make up the stuff he didn’t achieve in college.”

  “True ... Well, will you do me a favor when you break the news to him?”

  “Depends on what it is.”

  “Do it somewhere public over lunch or dinner, and be nice about it.” She opened her eyes and looked into mine. “You’ve tried being dismissive, nonchalant, and mean about it with him, and he never really gets it, so maybe if you tried a different approach, you’d get a different result.”

  “Okay ... I can try that.”

  “Good.” She slowly sits up. “And just for the record, no matter what college you choose to go to, I still expect you to come visit me once a month. Or to invite me up to see you... But at least once a month. Can you promise me that?”

  I promise it’ll be more often than that ... “I promise.” I know there’s no point in telling her to lay back down and rest more, so I help her off the bench and wrap my arm around her waist, holding her against my side as we walk down the trail.

  “Do you hear that?” she asks.

  “Hear what?”

  “Some type of rustling sound. Like footsteps in the grass?”

  I look around and notice another couple a few feet ahead. They’re lying in the grass and rolling back and forth against newspapers, looking more like five year olds than adults.

  “I think that’s what you’re hearing.” I point in their direction.

  “I guess ...” Mariah looks around for herself, and we walk the rest of the trail in silence. Every now and then, she stops and looks up at me with her “Can you please kiss me” eyes and I gladly oblige. By the time we make it back to my car, the sun is starting to set and we’re both instantly reminded that we only have a few hours left together before we have to return to Blue Harbor.

  “It’ll be nice when we don’t have to drive two counties to have sex,” she says.

  “What?” I look at her. “We don’t have to do that now. At all.”

  “I know.” She smiles and opens the backdoor of my car. “But I think we should do it here today. just because.”

  “That would make time number four today. Are you that insatiable?”

  She blushes. “No, I just. I just thought that ...”

  I kiss her before she can finish her sentence and pull her onto the backseat, shutting the door behind her.

  24

  Mariah

  I stick the latest locker note from Liam into my pocket and follow Kelsey into Dawson’s, ready to spend an entire day learning how to make truffles. One of my mom’s best bakers is on maternity leave, and since two other staff members are on vacation, she’s offered to pay me and Kelsey double, just to get her through this weekend.

  Putting my stuff away in the back, I tie on a pink apron and wait for my mom to finish up a call in her office.

  “So, you’re sure you don’t want to go to his game tomorrow night?” Kelsey pulls out a box of gloves. “I can drive you there, you know.”

  “No, that’s okay,” I say. “I mean, I want to go but by the time we get off tomorrow, we’d be lucky to make it there by halftime”

  That, and you can barely drive well for ten minutes at a time. I will not allow you to drive us anywhere that’s three hours away ...

  “Okay.” She shrugs. “Suit yourself. I’m sure Liam will tell you all about it when he climbs through your window tomorrow night. Is the sex really that good?”

  “Shhh! My mom might hear you.”

  “Your mom won’t hear anything unless it’s about batter or truffles.”

  “What’s that about batter and truffles, Kelsey?” My mom calls out.

  “Nothing!” Kelsey gives me an ‘I told you so’ look. “Nothing at all, Mrs. Dawson!”

  “Yes ...” I whisper. “Yes, the sex with Liam really is that good.”

  “Glad to hear that.” A deep voice says from behind and I immediately turn around.

  I feel my cheeks turning bright red, as Liam smiles at me.

  “I wanted to stop by before we left,” he says. “Coach is being a cheap ass, so he’s insisting we make hotel check-in time to get his money’s worth.”

  “I still don’t understand why you all have to leave a day early, since the game’s not until tomorrow.”

  “It’s because he’s superstitious.” He pulls me into his arms and gives me a quick kiss. “Plus, last time we played Bartlett, one of their crazy ass fans slashed our bus tires to try to get us to be late and forfeit. He doesn’t want us to take any chances this time. He’s even making the cheerleaders come with us.”

  “The cheerleaders are going? To the hotel, too?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Hmmm ... Okay.”

  He must know what’s running through my mind because he kisses my cheek and whispers. “I only think about you. I won’t talk to any of them, including Ashley.”

  Before I can ask him to promise me that, my mom walks into the kitchen, rushing right over to Liam and hugging him,

  “I’ll be rooting for you and Zach tomorrow from right here,” she says. “Unless you’d rather stay behind and help me bake? That may be the only thing that gets Zach back in here lately.”

  “Maybe next weekend.” He laughs and hugs her back, and I force a smile as she peppers him with question after question.

  “Nothing’s going to happen, Mariah.” Kelsey whispers. “I can see your mind spinning a mile a minute. He loves you and it’s just one away game.”

  “I’m not thinking anything.” I lie.

  She rolls her eyes. “Stop it ... Nothing is going to happen.”

  By the time my mom gets done badgering Liam, it’s time for him to go. I walk with him outside to his car, and he wraps me into his arms and kisses me.”

  “You’re so easy to read,” he says softly. “Relax. I’ll call you as soon as we get to the hotel and right after the game tomorrow when we hit the road. Nothing is going to happen.”

  I smile as he kisses me one last time, trying to hold out and believe that “Nothing is going to happen,” but that’s always a problem when there’s a shared history with someone. It’s also a problem when those very same five words tore us apart before ...

  FIFTH SUMMER CAMP (PART 1)

  Mariah

  This is definitely the best summer I’ve ever had at Camp Briar. I’ve been promoted to peer counselor, which means I’m not obligated to participate in any of the morning activities or afternoon sports games. But most importantly, it means that I can spend way more time with Liam.

  I still don’t understand why he doesn’t want to join Zach at the basketball skills camp, but I refuse to complain. I’ll take every stolen kiss and secret meeting I can get. And I’ll take every single moment like this, right now.

  We’re sharing a beach towel underneath a tree near the lake, using up every minute together before we have to report back to the
mess hall for dinner.

  “Do you know that you talk to yourself sometimes, Ryah?” Liam runs his fingers through my hair.

  “No, I don’t.”

  “You definitely do,” he says. “You were talking to yourself just now.”

  “Then what did I say?”

  “That this is the best summer you’ve ever had at Camp Briar. And then you started talking about how much you like me, as if I’m not sitting right next to you.”

  “Oh.” I blush. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be.” He kisses my forehead. “It’s cute.” He suddenly moves his hands away from me as a couple of campers dribble a basketball on the trail behind us. When the sound is far in the distance, he places his hands back where they were.

  “Can I ask you something, Liam?” I say.

  “For the umpteenth time, you never have to ask me that....Say whatever you want.”

  “Do you like playing basketball?”

  “Yeah, I think that’s pretty clear. I am playing for Blue Harbor next year as one of the only two freshmen to ever make the varsity team, you know.”

  “Trust me, Zach will never let me or anyone else, for that matter forget that fact.” I laugh. “But that’s not what I meant. I mean, do you actually enjoy it?”

  He looks at me with his eyebrow raised. “I’m not following.”

  “Like ...” I sit up. “Like, Zach loves playing basketball. He lives it, breathes it, everything. He can talk about it for hours, too. And when he’s on the court, he looks as if there’s no place he’d rather be. But you....”

  “What about me?”

  “I don’t know. I feel like you really like basketball because I mean, you’re really good at it, but ... You don’t really talk about it unless I bring it up, and you keep coming back to this camp instead of going to the basketball camp with Zach.”

  “I play weekend league during the school year, Zach doesn’t do that at all, so I think it balances us out.”

  “I guess,” I say. “I just get the feeling sometimes that if you could not play basketball, you’d be down for a little while, sure. But you’d eventually be okay and happily move on with your life. Zach, on other hand? He would die. Like literally, drop dead.”

  He stares at me and smiles. “Even if you were halfway right about this ...”

  “I think I’m more than halfway right about this.”

  “Okay.” He kisses my lips. “Let’s assume that’s the case.”

  “Let’s.”

  I wait for him to give me some long-drawn out proof or a list of reasons why I’m half right and half wrong, but all he does is continue to smile at me. Then he pulls me back down onto the grass and kisses me.

  “I really hate that you’re so perceptive sometimes. It’s one of your worst qualities.”

  “I really hate that you won’t admit when I’m right sometimes. It’s one of your worst qualities.”

  He laughs and I try to resist him tickling me. I’m not sure how long we roll around in the grass like that, but the familiar sound of a counselor’s whistle makes us immediately break apart.

  We both stand up to see where it’s coming from, to see if someone is giving the signal for a camp emergency, but no one seems to be around.

  I shrug and am about to suggest that we pick up where we left off, but I see Madison making her way toward us in the distance.

  “There you are!” She waves at us and starts running faster.

  “Is something wrong?” Liam asks when she’s closer. “Someone hurt?”

  “No,” she says, holding up her hand as she struggles to catch her breath. “It’s just that I didn’t want you to get in trouble. Ms. Jacobs just called a sudden lead counselor meeting and it starts in twenty minutes.”

  “Okay, we’ll head back,” I say.

  “Not peer counselor, Baby Mariah.” Madison rolls her eyes at me. “Lead counselor, i.e., the people who are old enough to enter high school and older — i.e., not you. Not. You. Notttt youuuu ...”

  I roll my eyes, wishing I’d brought my canteen out here so I could through my juice in her face. I catch Liam rolling his eyes at her as well, and then he sighs.

  “Do you know how long the meeting is going to last?”

  “The usual. Probably an hour or less.”

  He turns to face me and whispers, “Do you want to walk back with me or wait out here until I get back?”

  I notice Madison straining to hear his words, so I speak even softer. “I’ll stay here. See you when you get back.”

  He steps forward as if he’s about to kiss me, but he catches himself and steps back. “See you later, Mariah.” He winks at me.

  “Yeah. Later, Baby Mariah.” Madison flips her hair over her shoulder and looks me up and down before walking away.

  Minutes later, I pull my cell phone out of my backpack and text Liam.

  Me: Watch your back with Madison! She’s a snake! (No, really. She bites ...)

  Liam: Trust me, I know. I’ll be back soon. (LOL Thank you for the heads up :-) Nothing is going to happen.)

  25

  Liam

  “Is this team fucking serious?” Zach kicks at a locker room trash can on game day. “They purposely turned off all the water on our side! What the fuck are we supposed to drink? And where are the goddamn towels?”

  “Language, Zach! Our coach says, stepping into the locker room. He walks around the space, testing out all the water fountains, realizing that none of them work. Not only that, but it’s customary for the home team to provide a supply of bottled water, practice balls, and towels, and Bartlett has left nothing. And according to their coach, “someone must’ve stolen it” right before we got there. (Oh, and the air conditioning is conveniently out of order in our locker room as well.)

  “Ugh.” Zach slumps down on a bench. “Why the fuck do they find something new and stupid to do to us every time we play them? Do they really think that will help their sorry asses win?”

  “Zach!” Coach calls again. “Language! Now, everyone huddle up. Right now.” He waits until we’re all standing around him. “Now, look. Off the record, I hate playing these motherfuckers as much as you do. I think their coach is full of shit, the players don’t know their heads from their asses, and their strict ass principal is a spineless bastard.”

  Silence.

  “That said, this is the last time we’ll have to play these fuckers for the next few years and this is the last game standing in the way of a perfect season and the championship tournament. Are we really going to bitch about towels and water?” He smiles at Zach. “Win this goddamn game for BH and I’ll suspend curfew and the coed rules tonight. I’ll also deny the hell out of ever saying that, if any one of you snitches on me.” He claps his hands. “BH on one, two, three!”

  “BH!” Everyone says in unison, and then we all burst into laughter. Coach has a way of giving the worst, profanity laced speeches that seem to somehow work, regardless of their insanity.

  I take off my warm up suit and stuff it into my bag, sending a quick text to Mariah before heading out to the gym.

  Me: Save me a chocolate truffle for when I get back.

  Mariah: I’ll think about it :-) (Good luck!)

  Me: I’ll take two, then. (Thank you. I’ll call you after we win.)

  ***

  It takes all of two quarters for us to build a forty-point lead over Bartlett, so Coach lets the bench players finish off the second half of the game. (They take the lead to sixty.) By the time the game is over, the scoreboard reads 114-54, and the majority of their team’s fans are long gone. Even the van of reporters who followed our bus to the game left after halftime.

  When the referees clear the court, we line up to shake hands with Bartlett’s team, but to our surprise, Coach tells us not to bother. He orders us to retrieve our sweat-suits from the locker room and head to the bus, but not before walking right up to Bartlett’s head coach and yelling, “FUCK YOU!” in front of everyone.

  On the bus, I collapse i
n a seat near the front and Ashley immediately plops down right next to me.

  “Liam, look,” she says, looking somewhat genuine. “Can you talk to me, for like, five minutes?”

  “Nope.” I stand and climb over the seats, finding a space next to our assistant coach.

  “Did I just see you climb over the seats that we just paid a ton to get reupholstered, Liam?”

  “No, that wasn’t me. I would never.”

  He laughs and shakes his head, returning to his phone.

  I pull out my own phone to text Mariah, but there are several messages from Zach.

  Zach: No curfew. No coed rule.

  Zach: No Coach sleeping out in the hallway to “monitor” things ...

  Zach: Do you know what that means?

  Me: That I’ll probably get some sleep, since everyone will be out being stupid?

  Zach: You’re a goddamn buzzkill. Is this about your secret GF? Does she not like you partying if she’s not there with you?

  Me: She doesn’t like **your** type of partying.

  Zach: Understandable LOL. Enjoy your night cramped up in the room while we all party in Jason’s suite. #307 if you change your mind at some point tonight.

  Me: Thanks, but I’m sure I won’t.

  I hold off on texting Mariah until we make it back to the hotel, until everyone has showered and made their way to Jason’s room for the party.

  When I’m sure the teammate I’m sharing a room with is gone for the night, I call Mariah.

  “Liam?” She answers on the first ring, sounding beyond exhausted.

  “Hey ... Did I wake you up?”

  “Yeah, but that’s okay. How was the game?”

  “Another blowout. We won by sixty.”

  “Good for you. You score twenty again?”

  “Twenty two.”

  “Great. How are you and the team celebrating? I’m sure Zach has something up his sleeve.”

  “He does. Coach lifted the curfew, so there’s a party.”

  “That sounds so amazing.” She’s definitely about to pass out. “I hope you have a really good time at the party, then. Well, kind of.” She laughs.